Team Philippines enjoyed a stellar Friday at the 2025 World Games, with Rudzma Abubakar, Raph Trinidad, and Eric Ordonez all punching their tickets to the semifinals in their respective sports in Chengdu, China.
At the Sichuan Gymnasium, muay thai fighter Rudzma Abubakar turned in a gritty performance to dispatch Ukrainian rival Anastasiia Mykhailenko, 30-27, in the women’s -48kg quarterfinals.
Despite giving up size and reach to her European foe, Abubakar patiently waited for her moment. She struck in the second round, landing a sharp blow that opened a cut above Mykhailenko’s right eyebrow.
From there, the Filipina striker took control, sweeping all three rounds.
Her semifinal task, however, will be no walk in the park as she faces hometown favorite Xiaohui Lui, who advanced at the expense of Singapore’s Cheryl Gwa Wei Ying.
With the entire gymnasium likely rallying behind the Chinese contender, Abubakar will have to dig deep to keep her medal hopes alive when they square off Saturday at 6:00 PM.
“I am confident because Rudzma trained hard for this competition,” said Stephen Arapoc, Team Philippines’ chef de mission and president of the Muay Thai Association of the Philippines.
Meanwhile, at the Sancha Lake Arena, Filipino water sports bets Raph Trinidad and Eric Ordonez also sailed into the semifinals.
Trinidad, who proudly carried the Philippine flag during Thursday night’s opening ceremonies, dominated his cable wakeboard heat with an 80.20 score, good for third overall among the 10 qualifiers.
Germany’s Max Milde (83) and France’s Loic Deschaux (80.40) set the pace in the qualifying round, where athletes dazzled with aerial tricks while being pulled by a cable system above the water.
Ordonez, on the other hand, showed fine form in wake surf — the motorboat-driven counterpart of cable wakeboarding — as he tallied 36.67 points to earn his semifinal berth.
He now sets his sights on challenging the division’s top guns, USA’s Jett Lambert (83.75) and Thailand’s BM Jomboon (80).
All three Filipino semifinalists carry the full backing of the Philippine Olympic Committee and the Philippine Sports Commission as they chase podium finishes this weekend in Chengdu.
